A series of roster moves made Sunday by the Detroit Red Wings appear to have opened the door – temporarily at least – to give Xavier Ouellet a spot on Detroit’s defense.
The Wings removed 13 players from the roster, assigning defensemen Nick Jensen, Robbie Russo and Ryan Sproul to AHL Grand Rapids and placing defenseman Alexey Marchenko on the seven-day injured reserve list, retroactive to Sept. 28.
As well, veteran defenseman Brian Lashoff was placed on waivers and is likely to be assigned to Grand Rapids if he clears at noon Monday, evidently leaving Ouellet to fill the seventh defensive spot on the opening-night 23-player roster.
“My job is to be ready to play,… Ouellet said. “Ever since Day One it’s been a competition here. I don’t know if there’s more pressure now than before.
“It’s my third year now. I’ve played a couple games here last year. I’m kind of getting used to the atmosphere of having to perform. It is fun, stressful, an excitement that’s really fun to deal with, actually.…
The veterans on the Detroit blue line like what they’ve seen from Ouellet. “X always seems to be making the right decision, playing really well,… Niklas Kronwall said.
Detroit newcomer Mike Green has paired with Ouellet during the NHL pre-season. “He skates well and moves the puck well,… Green said. “It’s always interesting to play with new guys and see their habits and see how things go.
“I'm excited to play with him for sure.…
Ouellet put up 2-1-3 numbers in 21 games with the Wings last season, but gave way to Marchenko late in the season and during Detroit’s playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“Xavier is a very smart hockey player,… Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said.
Kronwall’s advice to all of the young defenders is to keep their heads up and keep working.
“When you get an opportunity, when you get called upon, just try to do as much as you can with it, make the most of it,… Kronwall said. “Sometimes that’s just the case (that they’ll get sent down), there’s a lot of guys you got to get through.
“But I always believe that any way you look at it, in the long run it’s always going to work out for guys. If you keep working hard, you stay patient, if you’re good enough you’re going to play in the league.…
Ouellet doesn’t believe that playing for Blashill in Grand Rapids has offered him any advantage, since he schooled most of the young defenseman.
“We know what to expect but if you look at this year, there's a lot of competition, a lot of contracts, a lot of players,… Ouellet said. “It's a big competition for everyone but obviously it's easier and fun to know the coach and know how he works.…
Ouellet is of the belief that a change in his off-season condition program might have more to do with his chances of starting the season in Detroit.
“I worked on my legs, a little more explosion in skating, something I work on every summer but I kind of focused a little more this summer,… Ouellet explained. “The first couple days of camp I felt great, skating around and stuff.…
He’s also certain what it will take to earn a permanent role among the Red Wings rearguard.
“It's just to show up every game, being consistent and making sure that you don't take any nights off or have any bad games,… Ouellet said. “Things won't always go your way but you’ve got to find a way to make the right plays, make the right choices.
As for Marchenko, the Wings don’t anticipate that he’ll be on the shelf for long. “We hope he’ll be in a position to practice on Monday,… Blashill said.
The Wings also assigned forwards Andreas Athanasiou, Louis-Marc Aubry, Tyler Bertuzzi, Colin Campbell, Anthony Mantha, Zach Nastasiuk, Tomas Nosek and Eric Tangradi to Grand Rapids and assigned goaltender Jake Paterson to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. The club also released forward Mark Zengerle and defenseman Scott Czarnowczan from their tryout agreements.
Additionally, the Wings placed center Pavel Datsyuk, defenseman Danny DeKeyser (retroactive to Sept. 30), and forward Darren Helm on seven-day injured reserve.
The moves leave 27 players still on Detroit’s active roster.
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